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Opinion

August 31, 2010

New taxes? For Camas, no worries

OK, I know it's hard to find much to complain about life in Camas and Washougal. The streets are clean, the trees are green and our citizens are as polite and friendly as they come. But why, oh why, are we, in Camas and Washougal always so completely and unconditionally satisfied with the way our city governments, our school districts and port district spend our tax dollars? Why don't most of us ever show up at city council, school board or port meetings to express an occasional disagreement with an issue at hand, or ever run for a seat on these boards and commissions?

August 24, 2010

Next up: The General Election

Another Primary Election has come and gone, and this time around there were only a few surprises when it came to the results. While the Washougal Emergency Medical Services levy grabbed a whopping 74 percent of the vote, the most notable local surprise was the other local levy vote. Despite a poor economy, the majority of voters voiced favor for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library levy lid lift, stating they would like to see their local libraries improve by offering additional hours and more books.

August 24, 2010

Jobless benefits a vicious cycle for employers

Finding a job is the best substitute for an unemployment check, but as more and more Americans exhaust their jobless benefits, employment opportunities remain sparse. In July, the state unemployment rate was 8.6 percent, down from 9.5 percent a year ago; however, in parts of Washington it is in double-digits. The Portland-Vancouver metro area reports 13.3 percent unemployment, about the same as last year. Economists worry that it may take years for our economy to return to its peak of a couple of years ago.

August 17, 2010

Start of Highway 14 improvements inches closer

It seems that delays, delays and more delays have been the name of the game when it comes to the Highway 14 safety improvement project. Originally, work on the heavily used Camas-Washougal roadway was supposed to begin earlier this year, but holdups in the property acquisition process pushed the project off of its original time line several times.

August 10, 2010

Cast that ballot

Another Election Day will soon arrive, and with it a slough of candidates who are hoping voters will check the box next to his or her name on the ballot, and government agencies looking for votes of support on local levies.